His height is still listed at 6’0” in most NFL programs, but Drew Brees has stood next to Travis Lulay in the camp of the New Orleans Saints and Lulay swears a very liberal measuring tape was used.

“Six feet is generous — to be honest with you,” the quarterback of the B.C. Lions explained Tuesday. “But it was great for me to see a guy who is not your prototypical NFL quarterback succeed like he has. He’s not six-foot-four or six-foot-five, 230. He’s not any of those things. But he’s still able to move the offence efficiently. He’s always in position to make the right throw. For a guy of his stature to be able to play at that level helped me believe more in my own abilities.”

On Sunday, Brees passed a true original — Johnny Unitas, who assumed the stature of Paul Bunyan in his adopted city of Baltimore — by throwing a touchdown pass for the 48th consecutive game, an NFL record.

Most of what the 29-year-old Lulay knows of Johnny U he learned from an uncle, since the heyday of the former Baltimore Colts quarterback occurred in the 1960s and 70s. But what Lulay knows of Brees he gleaned from having spent two months with the Saints earlier in his football career. And some of that association still impacts Lulay today.

“I think the biggest thing is his leadership, just his presence in the locker-room and on the field, how guys responded to him,” Lulay said. “They play hard for him. Those were all things I took from him.”

Lulay takes a streak of 25 games with at least one touchdown pass into Friday’s game against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton. While modest in comparison with the 48 games of touchdown consistency achieved by Brees, or the mark of 47 authored by Unitas, a throwback who played in high-tops and a crew cut, Lulay’s run is still the second-longest in CFL history. Only Sam (the Rifle) Etcheverry has gone longer without being skunked. Etcheverry, playing for the Montreal Alouettes, threw into the end zone with a positive response on 34 straight occasions in the 1950s.

How does Lulay carry such a burden between games? Or, does he even think about it, except when being prodded by reporters?

“Honestly, no,” Lulay said. “It’s not something that I think about. If the streak should end, and we still win the football game, it’s not something I’m going to feel bad about. It is a cool thing, but we’re focused on winning football games. Still, it does reflect a level of consistency that we’re proud of. Again, it’s a number that comes along when you’re focused on winning football games. When you’re efficient, numbers will follow.”

Unitas wore jersey No. 19, Brees wears No. 9 and Lulay has adopted 14 — all typical quarterback numbers. But Etcheverry dates from an era when he redrew the profile of what a CFL quarterback should be with No. 92 on his back. He was old stock, but with a strange-sounding Basque name. Indeed, he was a descendant of sheep farmers from the Basque region of Spain who emigrated to New Mexico.

Lulay admits he hasn’t had much time to research the man he is chasing, though Etcheverry is being etched in his consciousness with each passing week.

“I know the name now, and I know the success of the name,” Lulay admitted. “It’s been brought to light. But I will read up on him. I promise. I’ll make sure I know who I’m chasing.”

Etcheverry changed a team’s culture and a city when he played for the Alouettes, and Montreal felt betrayed when he was later traded away to the Tiger-Cats before signing with the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals at age 31. Lulay, on the last year of his contract with the Lions, is probably more aware that Doug Flutie, 5-9 in his stocking feet, left after eight seasons of sustained excellence in the CFL for the Buffalo Bills when he was 35.

Flutie opened eyes about what a quarterback, steeped in the scrambling, free-form style of the CFL, could do on a smaller American field. Brees is further evidence that other underdogs can make it big.

“Just in terms of being a guy who’s a little too small, who doesn’t have the arm strength ... those have been the knocks against Drew,” Lulay said. “But he’s beating the best of the best, and doing it week in and week out. To see that shows me what’s really important — accuracy of the throws, leadership, intangibles. I relate in a lot of ways to this guy — and it’s confidence-boosting. He’s had a ton of success. Why can’t I be the same?”

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Lions' Travis Lulay draws inspiration from Saints' star Drew Brees

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